GARETH Southgate has spent the weekend compiling a list of non-contract strikers as he contemplates Boro’s sudden striker crisis.

The Boro boss has been forced to scour the international market after injury wiped out three of his four front-line forwards.

Only Dong-Gook Lee provides any kind of experience, yet the South Korwean hasn’t yet scored in the Premier League.

Southgate was today still awaiting reports on the injuries to Tuncay and Mido, both of whom joined Jeremie Aliadiere on the injured list on Saturday.

But, more pressing, was to try to discover which experienced strikers might currently be in between clubs, who could carry out a short term job for the club.

Southgate’s other option is to pitch in the kids, though young strikers Tom Craddock and Ben Hutchinson have just eight minutes’ league experience between them.

Southgate remained positive and focussed today, saying: “It’s incredible. At the start of the season, we had injuries to all our centre-halves - we have now got injuries to three of our four centre-forwards.

“We are having a fair amount thrown at us at the moment, but we roll our sleeves up and we take on the challenge.

“We might have to look at non-contract players, play people in different positions or change formations or give young players a chance.

“These situations create opportunities elsewhere in the squad and we’ll go to Spurs with a team which is capable of winning the game.”

It looks as though Southgate will have to change his formation for the immediate future, with 4-5-1 the likely line-up in Wednesday’s Carling Cuptie at White Hart Lane.

Tuncay, Mido, Aliadiere and Julio Arca are all out through injury, while new signing Gary O’Neil is cuptied.

Boro were still waiting today to discover the extent of the new injuries.

Tuncay, who has a problem with his fibula, and Arca, who was stretchered off with a knee injury, were both having scans.

Both could be mid to long term injuries, while Mido, who resisted coming off before half-time.

when he was first aware of a problem, is probably out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring strain.

The injuries have exposed Boro’s shortage of strikers, with three out of four experienced men injured, though the suddenness of the setbacks have shocked everybody.

Southgate insists that the Boro squad had enough available numbers up front at the end of the transfer window, saying: “We are not in Europe, and trying to keep five strikers involved is difficult.

“It’s easy for people to say now that we didn’t have enough cover but you can’t account for a run of injuries like this one.

“The main thing to ensure is that we deal with it in the right way and continue to move forward.”

Southgate admitted that he did consider pushing central defender David Wheater up front on Saturday and bring on fellow defender Chris Riggott at the back.

In the event the manager opted to bring on Lee Cattermole as the extra midfielder, and this looks likely to be the route he will follow when selecting his line up for Spurs.

Southgate said: “Yes, I was tempted to push Wheater up front.

“It was something we discussed at half-time against Sunderland and again into the second half.

“But I decided that it was important to be strong in midfield and, to be fair, not only did we control the game, but it looked as though we had won it until the every end.”

Boro had absolutely no luck throughout the game, what with Sunderland’s fluke opener and the injuries, though Liam Miller’s late equaliser was a cracking goal.

Southgate said: “It would be easy to throw things and be annoyed that we ended up with one point instead of three.

“But I have got to say, I am proud of what the players have done because it was an afternoon where pretty much everything that could have gone against us did.

“We went a goal behind in the first minute to a shot that hit their own player and deflected right into his path, but our response to that was very good, we pulled ourselves back into the game.

“We lost three very influential players to injury and I said to them at half-time,

“You have afternoons like this in football and there are two options.

“You either sit and feel sorry for yourselves and you lose the game, or you roll your sleeves up and you say right, what a great game this is to win now with everything against us’.

“Their attitude and the way the responded were fantastic. We looked like we might edge it - we didn’t.

“They were very down at the end, but as a manager, you can only ask them to give what they have given.

“The players were out on their feet at the end, but we have come out with a point.

“Yes, we would have loved it to be three and I think we just about deserved it, but we didn’t get it and we dust ourselves down and go again.”

BORO Under-18s recorded a handy 4-2 win against Liverpool.

They scored goals through Steve Thompson (two), Ashley Corker and a Liverpool own goal.